You come at 'The King,' you best not miss.
Toronto Raptors guard Fred VanVleet learned that lesson in the second quarter of his team's Game 1 matchup against the Cleveland Cavaliers in the Eastern Conference Semifinals on Tuesday night.
With the Raptors leading the Cavs 49-42 with just over four minutes remaining until halftime, the Toronto second-year guard found himself entangled with LeBron James under the basket as Cleveland guard J.R. Smith sank a 3-point shot. Following a slight shove from James, VanVleet apparently took exception to the exchange and began to charge toward the 4-time MVP.
Fortunately for VanVleet, who at 6-feet tall and 195 pounds possesses a significant size disadvantage against the 6-foot-8, 250-pound James, he was held back by teammates Kyle Lowry and DeMar DeRozan. Nevertheless, the altercation resulted in a foul away from the ball called on VanVleet -- although James proceeded to miss the ensuing free throw.
After trailing Toronto 33-19 following the first quarter, the Cavs spent the second period closing the gap on the Raptors and now trail by a score of 60-57 heading into halftime. In 20 minutes of action, James has scored 11 points to go along with 7 assist and 6 rebounds, while VanVleet has scored 7 points in 9 minutes off the bench.
For all the latest from the Cavs' Game 1 matchup, follow our live blog and join the conversation on Twitter using the hashtag #3Cavs.
